The Council of the Government of the Azores, which met in Ponta Delgada on September 1, 2011, has determined the following:

1 - Award, under the celebrations of the International Day of Solidarity, established by the United Nations, the diplomas of honour to 72 institutions from the archipelago for their contribution to social solidarity.
This initiative, which includes “Santa Casas da Misericórdias,” associations, cooperatives, homes and community centres, among other entities, aims to highlight the important role played by various private social solidarity institutions in the context of social service policies in the Region.

2 - Approve a proposal for a Cooperation and Understanding Protocol with the Government of the Republic, which defines, with rigour and transparency, the Region’s contribution to the fulfilment of the international commitments established nationwide.
The proposal for cooperation protocol defines and quantifies the Region’s contribution to the budget and financial consolidation of country; defines the scheduling and the implementation in the Region of the measures embodied in the memorandum of understanding signed with the “troika”; establishes the financial relation with the Government of the Republic, without detriment to the Regional Finance Law as well as the Region’s access mechanisms to the financial system.
The Protocol should be signed by both governments this month and it is the result of preparatory meetings that have already taken place. 

3 - Approve two proposals for regional implementing decree restructuring the services under the administration of the Regional Secretariat for Education and for the Environment and the Sea in order to reduce the number of management positions and the respective financial burden.
These changes, which follow the policies implemented to reduce costs in the regional administration and the restructuring of the business public sector, require a direct annual reduction of costs with management positions by € 1,500,000.00 (one million and five hundred thousand Euros).

The Regional Secretariat for Education and Training registered a reduction in the number of management positions by 23.7%, which corresponds to a cost decrease of half a million Euros, i.e., 28%.
In the case of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, the number of management positions was reduced by 39%, corresponding to an annual saving of about one million Euros.

4 - Approve the creation of Healthcare units on the islands of Terceira and São Miguel, the respective organisation and staff, which corresponds to a reduction of public expenditure over € 150,000.00 per year, simultaneously consolidating the organisational structure and the operation of services in order to achieve efficiency gains in the management of island healthcare units.
Therefore, the creation of Healthcare units in the archipelago, according to the provisions of the Regional Health Service Statutes, is completed, ensuring greater efficiency in the provision of healthcare. 

5 - Support, under the technical and financial cooperation scheme with local authorities, the investment for the renewal works of the Beira Elementary School and Kindergarten in the municipality of Velas, São Jorge Island, through the reimbursement of 25% of the total investment.
This measure is part of a partnership policy between the Government of the Azores and local authorities in the modernisation of school facilities under municipal management.

6 - Approve two contract-programmes authorising PJA- Pousadas de Juventude dos Açores, SA to develop the projects to promote youth tourism in the Azores, manage the Interjovem Card and the free time occupation of youngsters.
The authorised contracts also provide the necessary maintenance works of the buildings where the youth hostels are installed, especially in the case of the Ponta Delgada building, the oldest unit of the regional network. The two contracts allocate a global amount over half a million Euros.

7 - Change the legal support scheme for the sports association movement in order to facilitate access of the involved entities to the financial support awarded by the regional and local administrations with the purpose of regulating the development of sports activities.
Despite maintaining the general rules for the allocation of the financial support, the new legislation allows sports clubs and associations to benefit from the allocated support as long as an amount up to 25% of the total value is retained for tax regularisation purposes.

8 - Define the base unit value of the support for sports activities, comprising the training and competition activities of the training levels, complementary support measures, prizes, promotions and league maintenance, the support for athletes trained in the Azores as well as the number of elements to integrate official delegations of each sport and level of competition and the maximum number of teams per league or level of competition to be supported in sports season 2011/2012.

The Resolution estimates a 3% reduction in the different indicators for calculating the amounts to be awarded with the exception of the Support to International Competitions, although, in this case, there will be a reduction in the number of elements integrating official delegations to be considered for calculating purposes.

9 – Establish the legal scheme for the Scientific and Technological System of the Azores (SCTA) and create the respective scheme for awarding financial incentives, designated as PRO-SCIENTIA.

The proposal for regional legislative decree now approved defines the regulatory framework applicable to the entities involved in scientific research, dissemination of scientific and technological culture, technological development and innovation and promotion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the Region.

With regard to the new incentive programme, which is intended to comprehensive, transparent and easily understood by the potential beneficiaries, is based on four main areas (ENHANCE, COOPERATE, QUALIFY and UPDATE) and aims to:
- consolidate the scientific and technological potential of the Region;
- stimulate research in relevant areas for the Region;
- promote the economic enhancement of R&D activities;
- encourage the creation of trans-regional and international synergies that foster the Region’s development and projection in the European Research Space;
- Qualify human resources in the field of science;
- Promote scientific and technological culture, contribute to the dissemination of ICT and ensure the widespread access to the Knowledge Society.
Following the approval of the legislation, the regulations on the incentive scheme shall be published.

10 - Create the legal framework regulating the access to natural resources for scientific purposes, including biological and genetic resources, by-products, air, water, minerals and soil as well as the transfer of resources collected and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits resulting from their use.

The Azores did not have any legislation regulating the access to samples of natural resources for scientific purposes. However, the natural and genetic heritage of the archipelago has an enormous potential that can constitute one of the cornerstones of the social and economic development of the Region and even of the country so it was vital to regulate these matters.
Furthermore, the Region has unique natural resources which, in some cases, raising the interest of the national and international scientific community, and for that reason it was necessary to undertake efforts to ensure the protection and conservation of the regional natural heritage.

11 – Approve a resolution declaring the public utility of the purchase of land parcels necessary for the recovery and reactivation of the Varadouro Thermal Baths on the island of Faial.
The availability of land is crucial not only for the recovery project concerning that tourism infrastructure, but also for establishment of protective perimeters of the thermal springs in that area.

12 – Declare the public interest of the allotment project for the expansion of the Vila Franca do Campo Business Park to be undertaken by the respective Town Hall.
The project, which includes new lots for industries, warehouses, services, equipment for collective use and electrical infrastructures, aims to create the necessary conditions for the maintenance, consolidation and attraction of new companies as entities that create jobs and foster the local economy.

13 - Declare as Project of Regional Interest (PIR) the undertaking “Santa Bárbara Tourist Apartments” which consists in the construction and operation of a complex of 40 4-star tourist apartments in the municipality of Ribeira Grande.
This project represents a global investment of five million Euros that will be complemented by leisure and tourism activities, such as sea and nature tourism. With this venture, 18 jobs will be created.

14 - Under the policy to promote protected employment and in the context of the incentive scheme for the Social Employment Market in force, the Government has decided to aid four Social Integration Entities in the form of support to the integration of workers.
The entities comprised by these support measures were KAIRÓS - Cooperativa de Incubação de Iniciativas de Economia Solidária; Olhar Poente, Associação de Desenvolvimento da Agualva; and the companies AÇORILHAS – Sociedade Insular de Representações, Lda. and Reis&Filhos, Lda. The support allocated amounts to € 56,000.00 and includes the creation of five jobs for underprivileged people with disabilities.

15 - Authorise the launching of the public call for tender for awarding the contract work for the “Renewal of a Youth Unit Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre” with a base price of € 1,317,000.00 (one million, three hundred and seventeen thousand Euros) and a maximum completion period of 300 days counted from the date of the assignment of the contract work.
The new facility, to be installed at the “Solar da Glória,” located in the village of Livramento, São Miguel Island, will provide assistance to 40 youngsters in inpatient treatment/withdrawal treatment/detoxification and another 20 youngsters in therapeutic community.  

16 – Regulate the allocation of support at a regional level to the areas of agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry and rural development, defining the areas to which the support will be awarded, the forms of support and the respective legal framework, the eligible beneficiaries, the terms of access, the eligible costs and the monitoring of the implementation of these support measures.   
 
Taking into account the need to ensure the development in this key sector of the Azores and to raise awareness of all agents in the sector for the changes in the common agricultural policy, whose guidelines are being developed towards the promotion of quality rather than quantity, the Government considers necessary to promote adequate regulations to the establishment of specific incentives for the sector, particularly with regard to farmers’ organisations and actions intended to achieve productivity gains and boost competitiveness.

The financial incentives will be allocated to the following areas:
- Support to the provision of services to agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry and rural development.
- Support to the reinforcement, sustainability and integration of the agents in a value chain through the support to applied research and innovation of agro-forestry production.

17 - Approve the compensation mechanism for an additional quota of cereals for the consumption needs of regional industries, with an estimated maximum amount of one million two hundred thousand Euros.
The measure takes into account the historical consumption values in order to maintain the sustainability and competitiveness of regional industries in the agricultural sector as well as to tackle to increase of market prices and, consequently, avoid the increase of costs in animal feed.

As a result of unusually severe weather conditions registered in the Region during this summer, characterised by a persistent decrease in rainfall over the past six months, which aggravated the regional breakdown of forage production and brought serious consequences to the milk and meet sector, the Council of the Government has also approved a resolution authorising the award of an complementary financial support of € 1,800,000 (one million eight hundred thousand Euros) which is intended to partially support the costs of food imports for livestock as a means of preventing and minimising the damages for animal husbandry and agro-food productions and to regional economy as well.